Display rack



H. 5. BEST Re. 20,459

DISPLAY RACK Original Filed June 15, 1931 2 Sheets-Shet 1 H. 5. BEST DISPLAY RACK Aug. 3, 1937.

Original Filed June 15, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Reissued Aug. 3, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY RACK Harry Sumner Best, Geneseo, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to John H. Best & Sons, Inc., Galva, 111., a corporation of Illinois 6 Claims.

This invention relates to display racks and more particularly to a display rack adapted to be used in displaying rugs, carpets, wall paper and the like, but the invention will be described herein as it is used in the display of rugs.

Formerly when a display rack was used to display rugs it was customary to throw one rug back over another for purposes of display to the prospective purchaser. In the event it Was desirable to remove a particular rug because it was discontinued or for other reasons, it was necessary to disturb all of the rugs positioned above the rug to be removed.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a display rack on which rugs may be displayed and from which any rug may be removed without the necessity of disturbing the remaining rugs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable rack having a rigid and adjustable fastening device for fastening the rugs thereto.

And a further object is to provide a rack on which rugs may be displayed on both sides thereof.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

A selected embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a. perspective view of the display rack forming my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the designation 2-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevation on a reduced scale of a modified form of my invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view on a reduced scale of the modified form.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, a rectangular frame 3 is mounted on casters land comprises vertical corner posts 5 interconnected by bars 6 and l on the sides and bars 8 and 9 on the ends. Pivot rods ID and II are mounted in the upper end of the vertical corner posts 5 and extend along the sides of the device. The ends of the rods pass through and extend slightly beyond the corner posts. Supports I2 and I3 are pivotally mounted on the extensions of rods Ill and H respectively, below the longitudinal center line of said supports. Links l4 and I5 respectively connect the lower parts of the supports I2 and I3 to nuts l6 and I! mounted on right and left threaded portions l8 of the shaft l8 which is I journaled in the frame. When the shaft is: ro-

tated by operation of the hand wheel IS, the

nut IE will move in one direction and the nut I! will move in the opposite direction and these nuts will actuate the links to swing the supports inwardly or outwardly.

In operation, the upper ends of the supports are opened or spread apart by turning the hand 5 wheel IQ in one direction to draw the links in- 1 wardly and swing the frames about the pivot rods and ll. Preferably two groups of rugs 26, facing in opposite directions, are draped over the parallel clamping bars 2i at the top of the 10 supports and then the hand wheel is turned in the opposite direction to swing the supports to closed position With the rugs securely clamped between the clamping bars to prevent displacement. If it is desired to remove a particular rug 15 for any reason, the rugs lying on top of it are thrown over the other support and the supports are then spread apart and the rug removed, after which the supports are. clamped together again to hold the remaining rugs in place. It is 20 obvious that new rugs may be installed in the rack by a similar operation. Another desirable feature of the invention is that it will display rugs at either side of the rack and the backs of the rugs are always more or less concealed. This 25 is of special importance when the rugs are not being displayed to a customer because customers passing by the rack on either side thereof will see the face of a rug.

In Figs. 3 and 4, I have shown another em- 30 bodiment of the invention in which the supports 22 are pivotally mounted at 23, preferably below their longitudinal center line, to a frame 24 and are provided with fixed wheels 25 at their lower ends. The links 23 of the threaded 35 shaft adjusting and holding means 2?, are pivoted to the supports below the pivots 23 and the supports are swung inwardly and outwardly by operating said means as previously described.

While I have illustrated and described selected 40 embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of variation and modification Without departing from the scope there of as set forth in the following claims:

I claim: 45

1. A display device for rugs and the like comprising a pair of oppositely disposed supports providing outwardly disposed supporting areas adaptedto receive articles to be displayed and having cooperating clamping edges, said supports having corresponding ends thereof rested on a. sup-porting member, a frame, means: pivotally connecting the supports to the frame, and means for uniformly adjusting said supports on said supporting member and relative to each other to 55 clamp articles rested on said supporting areas and having portions arranged between the clamping edges of said supports.

2. A display device for rugs and the like com,- prising a. frame, a pair of oppositely disposed supports providing outwardly disposed supporting areas adapted to receive articles to be displayed, means pivotally connecting the supports to the frame, and operating means for uniformly and simultaneously moving said supports relative to each other into clamping and receiving positions and adapted to hold the sup-ports in either of said clamping or receiving positions.

3. A display device for rugs and the like comprising a frame, a pair of oppositely disposed supports pivotally mounted on the frame and having coacting clamping portions thereon, a shaft having oppositely threaded portions mounted in-the frame, means connecting said supports to said threaded portions, and means for operating the shaft to clamp the supports on rugs draped thereover.

4. A display device for rugs and the like cornprising a rectangular frame, upwardly projecting corner posts on the frame, oppositely disposed supports pivotally connected between the top and bottom thereof to said posts, and means on the frame below said pivotal connections and connected with the lower portions of the supports for moving the supports to clamp rugs draped thereon.

5. A display device comprising a frame, a pair of supports pivotally mounted on said frame and having parallel coacting clamping edges at the top thereof, means for simultaneously swinging said supports to move said clamping edges toward or away from each other, and means connecting said supports to said moving means.

6. A display device comprising a frame, a pair of supports pivotally mounted on said frame and having coacting clamping portions thereon, a right and left threaded shaft rotatably supported in the frame, nuts on the threaded portions of the shaft, and link means connecting said nuts to said supports to move said supports relative to each other when the shaft is rotated to clamp the supports on rugs draped thereover.

HARRY SUMNER BEST. 

